San Miguelito's Annual English Song Festival was in August, and it was an unexpectedly moving experience for me. The students sang the usual mixture of classic ballads, current pop music, and Christian music although we did have a surprising guest performance by San Miguelito's only (as far as I know) heavy metal rocker. I got to be on the jury again, alongside teacher Kleydy and an English teacher visiting from the town near Barcelona with which San Miguelito has a sister city arrangement.
As an educator, it's so easy to fall into the trap of putting students in boxes and not realizing the potential they have in areas that lie outside class. That's what's been so great about the mural projects this year: it's been a way to get to know students in their own language outside of the classroom structure, and to see them excel at hands on, artistic pursuits. It's also very easy to underestimate what they are capable of.
This year, the song competition was a similarly revealing experience for me. The students surprised me with their singing talent, their dancing ability, and their braveness in getting up in front of a`large crowd of people to sing in a language that is not their own. Two girls particularly surprised me, both, coincidentally who happened to sing Celion Dion songs. The winner, Escarlet, belted out the ballad "The Power of Love" with an artistry and volume that I had no idea she was capable of. She's a a great student, but usually very quiet in class. But she put it all out there. The third place winner, Ismenia, beautifully sang "My Heart Will Go On," more commonly referred to in Nicaragua as "The Titanic Song."(O, and yes, there is a great Spanish version). The song really moved me. Ismenia survived a tragic bus accident last year; coming from her, the song became what it truly is: an anthem to survival and perseverance. All the students sang really well though, and I'm proud of and impressed by each and every one of them.
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